Andreea Stanescu | Faces of FEB

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The Faculty of Economics and Business is a faculty with a great diversity of people who all have an impact, big or small, on science and society. But who are these people? Within ‘Faces of FEB’ we connect with different students, staff members and researchers of the faculty and give a little peek into their world. This month: Andreea Stanescu, a teaching assistant who is actively working on her professional skills during her studies at FEB.

1. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Hello, my name is Andreea and I am currently a teaching assistant. Last year I completed my bachelor in Communication & Information Studies and I am currently a Pre-MSc student of International Business & Management.

2. With your jobs as teaching assistant and (former) student mentor you support students during their studies. What kind of skills do you learn from jobs like these?

Supporting students during their studies is a great challenge. As a young professional, I am still learning and sometimes I might actually find myself facing similar challenges with the students that I am teaching/mentoring.

At first glance, I believe that being a teaching assistant and former student mentor developed even more my active listening skills and excellent verbal communication skills. In order to be able to understand the students’ needs and help them cope with stressful situations you need to actively listen to them and be easy-going. Students need even-tempered and motivating individuals with which they should feel relaxed and feel free to talk to about anything. In addition, these two jobs have developed my sensitivity and patience which further offered me the opportunity to build excellent relationships with students and gain their trust and devotion.

3. You have done multiple internships during your studies already. Why would you recommend doing an internship?

I believe that internships are the most important way of discovering yourself and your dream career. Internships offer you the opportunity to discover your path and learn more about the field that you are interested in as well as many other things. They can give you a grasp of different things that are happening in a company.

Everyone has a set image in their mind about how a certain position or job could look like and sometimes the reality is not even close to your thought. I can say this from experience. While following an internship in the communication sector which I thought would be my end goal, I realised that my true motivation stands in the business sector. This arose due to the fact that I had the opportunity to shadow various entrepreneurs and managers who shared their passion with me and showed me the piles of a business.

4. What would you say to students who also want to work on their professional skills, but don’t know where to start?

I would suggest students in their 1st and 2nd year of university to reach out to Career Services and attend workshops related to interviews, LinkedIn, career etc. and students in their 3rd year to follow the career minor. These helped me gain confidence. Furthermore, I suggest everyone to follow at least a 3 month part-time internship in their domain, even if it is not paid, because the experience is worth it. I believe internships open doors for every young professional, and I can say from experience that future employers will appreciate and consider your work experience when hiring.